It's The Job
by Aislashu
Summary: Six years after the events of Dirge, someone seeks Reno out with a request to join the Turks. Seeing Denzel, Reno has a simple answer. Hell. No. Denzel, however, is insistent...
1. Chapter 1

Reno was lounging in his room at Healen Lodge, one arm crossed under his head, bare feet crossed at the ankles. One foot danced back and forth in time with the music coming from the buds in his ears, free hand snapping his fingers along with the tune playing. If the Turks had a theme song, he'd want this one to be it, for sure! His suit jacket was tossed casually on the floor, shirt unbuttoned to bare his lithe upper body.

They'd come to a lull in work lately, so Reno hadn't trying too hard. He'd actually been spending a lot of his days at the Turk Recruitment Center in Edge, something about it being a good thing for the Second-In-Command to be openly active in bringing in new people. Reno figured it was because Tseng's stony face scared people away. Plus, he was a lot cuter than Tseng, anyway!

The knock on his door caused him to sigh in annoyance. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away. He closed his eyes, listening to the music, but the knock came again, louder this time. He sat up and swung his legs over the sides of the bed, tugging the buds out of his ears.

"What do you want, yo?"

The door creaked open and one of the new girls stepped in, her eyes widening at Reno's state of undress. He noticed her cheeks redden and eyes flick over him and he glanced down, rolling his eyes. He'd forgotten he'd left his shirt open. He glanced up at her and raised a brow, waiting. The girl blushed more and coughed, clearing her throat and straightening up.

"Someone to see you."

"Who?"

"They didn't say. Only that they wanted to join us."

"Bothersome..." Reno shook his head and frowned. "Tell whoever it is to go to the center in Edge, yo."

"He...he's insisting on you, specifically, sir."

Reno groaned and got to his feet, buttoning his shirt up about halfway. He slipped a bare foot under his discarded blazer and kicked it up into the air, catching it and pulling it on smoothly. The recruit blushed and glanced away, and Reno couldn't help a small smirk. He'd hardly seemed to age at all, even though six years had passed since the world was threatened by Omega.

"This had better be good, yo," Reno said, pocketing his Electro-Mag Rod, easily fitting in his pocket as it wasn't fully didn't bother with shoes, slipping by her and tossing casually over his shoulder, "or I'm going to fire you."

The girl's eyes widened in shock and Reno chuckled at the audible gulp he heard come from her. He made his way down the hall, bare feet on the floor causing no sound as he made his way to the main entrance of the Lodge. It was empty but for a lone boy, and he paused behind the doors to observe the boy through the glass.

The first thing Reno noticed was the long metal staff across the boy's back. So the boy came armed...though he figured one had to to travel here from Edge. The kid seemed familiar to him, and the black pants the kid wore were similar to Cloud's. Like Cloud's...aw, fuck. The closer look at the slightly curled, wavy brown hair confirmed it.

"No. No way, no how, no no no...and no, yo," Reno said as he pushed through the doors, startling Denzel and causing the boy to spin around facing him.

"You don't even know what I'm here for!"

"The girl told me. You want to join the Turks. No! No place even takes kids anymore."

"I'm not a kid!" Denzel said in annoyance, crossing his arms.

"You're like, 12, yo!"

"I'm 16! That's of age now."

Shit. Reno rubbed his face and glared at the kid. Denzel had grown, it was true. He'd lost the baby pudge of his face, built himself up a bit, and he'd seen the kid with that staff.

"Cloud would kick my ass."

"He would not."

"No, you're right. He'd CUT OFF my ass, put the pieces together, THEN kick it. Like a soccer ball. And then he'd cut my ass-soccer ball in half while it was still in the air. No!"

"You don't have enough of an ass to make into a ball," Denzel huffed, keeping his arms crossed.

"What? I have a NICE ass, thank you! Wait a minute, why are you looking at my ass, yo?! And now let's stop talking about my NICE ASS, thank you, and get back to the subject. No!"

"You need recruits."

"Not THAT badly. We're not exactly the same Turks we used to be, yo."

"I need a job."

"You work at 7th Heaven."

"Ugh, I can't do that forever."

"I still say no."

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"God dammit Denzel, no."

"No!"

"YES! God...hey, wait!"

Denzel smirked and waggled his eyebrows. Reno kicked a chair in frustration, and was abruptly reminded that he was barefoot, letting out a yelp and hopping around, holding his foot. Denzel laughed and watched Reno lean against the wall, rubbing his poor toes and hissing in pain.

"You said yes!"

"That...was not fair." Once he made sure no toes were broken, Reno straightened up. He gingerly put his foot down and was glad it didn't feel too bad. "So, you're really serious about joining us?"

"Would I be here otherwise?"

Reno bowed his head and chuckled. His left hand dipped into his pocket and withdrew his Electro-Mag Rod, a flick of his wrist sending it to full extension. His right hand hooked a finger between the eyes of his goggles, pulling them down over his eyes before he turned his darkened gaze to Denzel. Denzel was eying him nervously, the boy's hand inching back towards the end of the staff, but Reno was moving before the boy had a chance.

He brought the rod down over Denzel's head, causing the boy to cry out and raise his arms, crossing them over his head to block Reno's weapon. Denzel twisted and shot out a leg, kicking at Reno's abs and just missing as Reno was already launching himself backwards, and the light reprieve gave Denzel time to draw his staff.

"What are you doing?!" Denzel shouted, shocked.

"You want to join the Turks? You think you can handle it? Fight me."

"No way! You're my friend!"

Reno laughed and shifted into an offensive stance and launched himself forward again. The clang of metal on metal rang through the room as his rod was deflected by Denzel's staff time and again. Denzel was gritting his teeth, doing all he could to block Reno's rapid strikes. Reno pressed hard against the staff as Denzel held it up against the rod and he grinned down at the boy.

"Being a Turk means doing the job assigned you...no matter what." He flicked his thumb, electrifying his rod, sending the currents along the metal staff, causing Denzel to drop it with a yelp. Reno snatched the staff and danced back, staring at the panting teen in front of him, who'd shifted into a defensive posture. "You do the job. If the job required you to leave Cloud behind, even though you knew he would end up dead, would you?"

Reno watched Denzel's eyes go wide. He twirled the boy's staff in his right hand, watching the boy swallow hard.

"Well?"

"Would you...would you leave Rude?" Denzel finally challenged, knowing how close the two were.

"In a heartbeat," Reno didn't have to think about it. "It's the job, yo. So, you still want to join the Turks?" Reno smirked.

Denzel swallowed hard, but he wasn't going to be deterred, nodding again. Reno laughed, looking to the staff in his hand, before flinging it spinning through the air. Denzel caught it, surprised, licking his lips nervously.

"Then I have a job for you." Reno reached up and pushed his goggles back up into his hair, locking eyes with Denzel as he shifted into his own defensive stance, weapon held before him. "Make me bleed."

"But..." Denzel hadn't expected that. "I..."

"Then go back home, yo." Reno straightened up and made a dismissive gesture, turning away. "You're wasting my time."

Denzel looked down, gritting his teeth. He wasn't sure what exactly triggered it, but when Reno started walking away, he flipped his staff and launched it through the air like a javelin. Reno's eyes shot open wide as it hit him squarely in the back of the head and he staggered forward, but Denzel was already on the move.

Reno felt the kid's combat boots against his back as the boy dropkicked him into the wall, hand snatching the staff out of the air at the same moment. Landing on his feet, Denzel swung around, slamming the staff where Reno's head should have been, and was met with wall. Reno came around and kicked Denzel's feet out from under him, sending the kid to the floor. Reno grabbed the boy by the ankles and swung around, throwing him towards the opposite wall.

Denzel flipped in mid-air, landing with his feet planted against the wall before he launched himself off. He swung his staff up towards Reno's head and the redhead got his rod up at the last second, deflecting the blow. Denzel twisted around, using the force of the deflection and bringing the other end of his staff around, sweeping Reno's feet out from under him.

He brought the end of his staff down, but Reno shifted his head, just barely dodging the end. When Denzel moved for another strike, Reno managed to grab the end of the staff, holding it as he shifted his weight to his shoulders and kicking his legs up, latching them around Denzel's neck and twisting his body, flipping the boy to the floor.

Reno shifted his body with the movement so he was straddling Denzel, hands gripped on the boy's staff and trying to force it down over Denzel's neck. Denzel was fighting back, trying to push the staff up towards Reno, glaring up at the older man.

"You're cute when you're pissed off," Denzel hissed through his teeth.

"What?!"

Reno was caught completely off-guard, which gave Denzel the opening he'd been looking for. He twisted around and knocked Reno off him, though Reno didn't let go of his staff. They managed to get to their feet, still fighting for dominance over the weapon, Denzel slowly twisting them around until his back was towards the wall.

"You fight dirty as hell, yo!" Reno growled.

"Since when do Turks fight clean?"

Denzel grinned and winked at Reno, bringing his foot up against the man's stomach. Then he pulled the staff closer and fell to his back, kicking his leg up and sending Reno flying...straight through the window he'd aligned himself too, shattering the glass as the redhead's body flew through it and to the outside, skittering and rolling across the ground. Denzel looked out the window, grinning...though the grin quickly faded when he realized Reno wasn't moving.

"RENO!" Denzel jumped out the window, running towards the other man.

Denzel dropped to his knees next to Reno's limp form, shaking him. Reno's hand moved and snatched Denzel's wrist, flipping them over and pinning the teen underneath him. Reno's face was cut and bleeding in multiple places, and he had tears in his suit from the glass. He straddled Denzel's chest and settled down on the boy's stomach, staring down at him. Denzel stared at Reno wide-eyed, and watched as Reno slowly raised his left hand, wiping his thumb across his mouth and moving it to stare at the blood. Smirking softly, Reno lowered his hand, smearing his blood across Denzel's mouth.

"So, what was this you said about me when I'm pissed off, yo?"

Denzel blushed brightly, tongue unconsciously licking his lips, eyes widening a bit more when he tasted the sharp, coppery tang on his tongue...Reno's blood. Reno got to his feet and reached his hand out, helping Denzel up. There was a new-found respect in his eyes as he looked the teen over.

"Well..am I in?"

Reno waved his hand and turned away, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he made his way back towards the Lodge.

"The damages are going to be docked from your first check. Just so you know."

Denzel grinned brightly and nodded, falling into step next to Reno.

"Also, I was pulling my punches, yo."

"Uh-huh." Denzel smirked, tilting his head to look at the taller man.

"I was."

"Mm-hm," Denzel nodded, giggling.

Reno made a face at the kid and shook his head, grinning. Though it wasn't long before that grin faded, taking another look at Denzel.

emShit./em Cloud really WAS going to kill him!


	2. Chapter 2

Denzel came out of the bathroom dressed to the nines, the new black suit sharp and form-fitting. Denzel opted to keep his combat boots, but it looked good. Denzel was making little frustrated sounds in his throat, however, fumbling with the tie still undone around his neck. Reno chuckled and stepped forward, batting those hands away and deftly tying it, sliding the knot up snugly around the boy's neck.

"Why don't you wear one?" Denzel asked curiously, looking up at Reno, cheeks tinged ever so slightly pink.

"Hate the damn things, myself," Reno chuckled, hand slipping into Denzel's blazer to remove the dark black sunglasses, sliding them onto the kid's face. "You clean up pretty good."

"Thanks. Where's my staff?"

"Here," Reno held up a metallic cylinder about six inches long.

"Very funny..."

Reno flicked his wrist and the cylinder extended to a full size staff. He quite enjoyed the slack-jawed look that crossed Denzel's face, gawking at the weapon. Then Denzel let the childish part of him take over and raised his hands, fingers opening and closing with a grabby, 'Gimme!' motion that made Reno laugh. He flicked his wrist again, retracting the staff in on itself and handing it over.

"This is AWESOME!" Denzel crowed happily, testing it and extending it, smacking himself in the shin. "OW!"

"Man...you better not get us killed in your first fight with that think, yo. I'll be so pissed!"

"I think Cloud might get you first, don't you?"

"Shush," Reno huffed. "Not funny, yo. C'mon, I want to get to Edge before sundown and it's a good drive."

Reno turned on his heel and left the Lodge, heading down to Denzel's parked motorcycle. Denzel climbed on and started her up while Reno took the Bitch seat, sliding his arms around Denzel's slim waist. The bike started with a throaty roar, and Reno pressed tighter against Denzel's back as the motorcycle rumbled between their legs.

"This is the only time you'll get to see me as a Bitch," Reno purred into Denzel's ear, making the boy turn bright red, "yo."

Payback for the cute comment...achieved. Denzel swallowed hard and said absolutely nothing, though he figured his head may just explode with the rush of blood to his cheeks. He twisted the handle of the bike to make its engine roar, kicking into gear and speeding off away from the Lodge. It was probably about 20 minutes later when the roar of other cycles was heard coming up from behind them.

"What's that...?" Denzel called back.

"The job," Reno smirked. "Keep driving!"

Reno shifted on the motorcycle until his back was against Denzel's, facing backwards at the upcoming biker gang.

"Reno?!"

"Just a little roadside clean-up, kid!" Reno called back.

Reno withdrew two pistols from behind, getting off two quick shots. Bastards hadn't been expecting a Turk, and he got the two foremost bikers right between the eyes. He watched them fall off their bikes and watched the bikes careen off the roadway, though Reno let out a small gasp when Denzel's bike wobbled.

"What the fuck! Were those shots?!"

"Fuck, yo! Keep steady!"

Reno felt a bullet whiz by him and quickly got off two more shots, but the bikers were prepared this time, swerving out of the way. Reno focused both guns on one of the riders, sending a volley of shots. The rider swerved, and Reno fired again, making sure to fire ahead of the biker, watching the bullets rip through the front tire and sending him crashing to the pavement. Reno glanced up and saw a blue glow coalescing at one of the rider's hands.

Reno withdrew his EM Rod and extended it, sliding his right hand along the length. The rod erupted in flames and he swung it out as the ice spell shot forward, neutralizing it with his own blast of fire in mid-air. Reno shifted carefully, moving to a crouch on the moving motorcycle.

"Whatever happens, yo, keep fucking driving!"

"What?! Reno..." Denzel glanced back in time to see Reno leap off the back of the bike. "The fuck!?"

Reno felt time slow down around him, though he was moving at the same speed. He landed on the front of the closest rider's bike, crouched down and bringing up his EM Rod, which he'd retracted in mid-leap. He could register surprise in the slowed guy's eyes, and couldn't help smirking as he brought his rod up under the guy's chin.

"Greetings from the Turks!" Reno shouted, extending the Rod violently, cracking the driver under the chin and sending an electric jolt through his head.

The guy fell off and was promptly run over by the biker behind him, the thud and bump of the body underneath the two wheels causing the other biker to wobble and crash. Four down, motherfuckers. He felt the effects starting to fade and leapt off, twisting around and cracking the heel of his foot into the facemask of the driver next to him, sending the man flying off to the side of the road, landing in his vacated seat.

His left hand shot out, deflecting a blow from a sword as another rider came up alongside him, right hand gripping the handle of the motorcycle. He swung away to give himself some distance, then swung back with a quick swing of his Rod, hearing the loud crash of metal on metal when it met the sword. While Reno was working to dislodge the swordsman, two other bikes surged forward alongside Denzel's.

Denzel looked to either side of him and tried to surge forward, leaning down against his bike to gain more speed. They kept with him though, trying to steer him away. Denzel was breathing hard but keeping cool. He remembered his new staff and carefully drew it out as he drove, positioning it just right. He slowed down a little, then activated the staff, smacking the riders on each side of him.

They veered away in surprise, but soon came back at him. Denzel braked and swung around, getting both drivers on his right side. He surged forward, getting his front wheel in line with the closest biker's back wheel, then swung his bike roughly into it, sending it crashing. Then he moved again, getting in line behind the other biker.

Reno was locked against the swordsman, growling as he kept the man's blade at bay. He held the rod sturdy against the sword, keeping it away, and slowly let go of the bike's handle with his right hand. He moved his hand up and turned his palm towards the biker and flames burst forth, immolating the man and his bike, sending him screaming off to the side of the road. A quick glance towards Denzel showed him the kid was fine, and had even taken out one of the motherfuckers.

Reno brought his hands back to the bike and swerved a shot of ice. They were down to Denzel's last dude and the ice asshole. Reno swerved around another flying spike, then quickly spun the bike around and slammed it into reverse. He withdrew two Uzis from within his coat-because fuck you, Assholes, Turks came prepared-and started firing.

Ice Man hadn't expected that, and though he quickly managed to put up a shield made of ice, it was nothing compared to the rain of bullets coming from the highly annoyed redhead. The ice shield crumbled under the onslaught and Reno watched as that body jerked with each impact of the bullet, until the newly-made Human Swiss Cheese fell to the road in a bloody heap.

Reno spun the bike around again and swooped in on the other side of the last rider, turning to shout over the man's head.

"All right, yo?"

"Fine! You could have warned me, asshole!"

"No fun in that!" Reno grinned.

The rider looked between them and slowed his bike to a stop. Reno turned and swung around, blocking the back way while Denzel pulled up to block the front. Reno climbed off the bike and adjusted his jacket, dusting off the sleeves. He stepped forward slowly, the biker pulling off his helmet.

"Wait! I'll tell you everything you want to know!"

"Will you now?" Reno grinned.

Wide, panicked eyes stared at Reno, head nodding rapidly.

"You do realize you made a direct attack against the Turks, yo."

Denzel stared, staying on his bike. Reno delighted in watching the man's face drain of all color. Soon, he was standing next to the man's bike, holding his EM Rod and turning it around in his hand, examining it slowly. It was really a shame he was with Denzel, because now he couldn't do what he liked.

"Anything, anything you want to know...just...please."

"I'm sorry," Reno said, reaching into his blazer.

Reno's lips curled into the darkest little smirk, fingers curling around the grip of the pistol he had in his last pocket.

"But those..." his eyes turned up, withdrawing the gun and placing it to the man's temple, "...weren't my orders."

The trigger was pulled as the rider's eyes shot open, mouth open to beg. The life died in those eyes, and the body stayed upright for the briefest moment before falling to the side, blood pooling underneath the man's head. Denzel couldn't say anything, eyes staring in shock. Reno walked over and placed the gun into the boy's palm, staring down at him.

"Check to see if the one you crashed is still alive. If he is...make sure he doesn't, yo."

Reno walked off without giving Denzel a chance to reply. He checked the pockets of each fallen biker, and when he came across one other that still had a kick of life, he pressed his EM Rod to the body right over the heart, electrifying the metal and watching until the only movement left was the body's jolts from the shocks. After getting what he needed, he waiting until he heard the shot, heading back over to Denzel.

"It was you or them, yo."

"I know," Denzel said quietly, trembling.

Reno stepped up behind him, resting his hands on those shaking shoulders and squeezing firmly. Denzel relaxed a bit at the touch, staring down at the body at his feet, the first human he'd killed with his own hands. Reno watched Denzel wipe his eyes, then turn to give him a weak smile.

"I'm ok."

"It gets easier after a while."

"I...I don't think that's a good thing," Denzel whispered.

"No..." Reno touched the end of the boy's nose softly. "No, probably not, yo."

Reno stepped away, heading back to Denzel's bike as he picked up his phone, dialing a number.

"Reno Sinclair, reporting."

Denzel walked over to his bike, watching Reno.

"Ambushed. No, no trouble at all," Reno grinned, winking at Denzel, who laughed a little. "Clean up crew needed, you'll see the mess, yo. I'm heading into Edge, I have business to take care of. Later, yo."

"You really were pulling your punches."

"I told you." Reno grinned, hopping into the bike before Denzel could react. "Get used to being the bitch, yo."

"Hey! It's MY bike!" Denzel cried out, flushing.

"Confiscated by the authority of the Turks."

"WHAT!"

Reno laughed and revved up the bike, grinning at Denzel.

"Get on before I leave you behind, yo."

Denzel groaned but did as told, climbing up behind Reno and holding on tightly. Reno sped off, pushing the bike to its limits. He felt Denzel's grip tighten on him and grinned, making it to Edge. Denzel shrieked for him to slow down, but Reno didn't heed the warning, weaving in and out of cars and pedestrians. He stopped only when in front of 7th Heaven, grinning as he heard Denzel's near-terrified panting.

"You...are...a..MANIAC!"

"No. I'm a red head, yo."

Denzel shook his head, shakily climbing off the bike. Reno got off as well and stood with his EM Rod propped up against his shoulder, right hand in his pocket. Denzel was leaning on his bike, still trying to catch his breath when the door to the bar opened.

"What are YOU doing here?" Cloud's Mako-eyes locked on Reno, not yet noticing Denzel.

"Came to see you, yo."

"What are the Turks doing with Denzel's bike?" Cloud demanded.

"What..." Reno laughed, tilting his head towards Denzel. "You don't recognize my new partner, yo?"

"Why would..." Cloud's gaze shifted over and those eyes widened. "Oh..I get it. Funny. Nice joke, now get the hell out of that uniform, Denzel."

"It's...it's no joke, Cloud," Denzel said, straightening.

"Enough, joke's over. You can drop it now."

"It's pretty much official, Cloud," Reno piped up, and those eyes turned back to him. "And before you bitch, he came to me."

"It's true, Cloud."

Cloud grit his teeth and wanted nothing better than to draw a weapon on Reno for this, but he knew Denzel could be stubborn.

"Do what you want."

"Cloud."

Those blue eyes literally flared in their glow, an obvious flash of anger as they turned back to Reno. He hopped the steps and walked up to the taller redhead, lips curling back.

"What do you want, Reno? I'm not happy to see you right now."

"We have bigger problems, Cloud."

"Like what?"

Reno pulled his hand into his pocket, holding up a tattered red flag with a white logo. Cloud glanced at it dismissively, then did a double-take. He reached out and snatched it from Reno's grip, getting a closer look before turning his eyes back to the man.

"Where did you get this?"

"Off the bodies of a gang that ambushed us on the way here, yo."

The look of concern was on Cloud's face for a few seconds, then that mask fell back into place. Denzel looked a bit confused, and Reno was staring cooly down at Cloud. Tifa made her way out to the steps when Cloud took a while coming back in, frowning at the scene before her.

"Cloud? What's going on?"

"Call Barret. Now."

"Why?"

Cloud motioned to Denzel and Reno. Reno followed Denzel in, sliding beyond Tifa and winking at her as he passed. Cloud walked by, stuffing the tattered flag into her hands.

"Because we have a fucking problem," he said as he walked by her.

Surprised, Tifa stared down at what Cloud had forced into her hands. Oh yes...they did have a problem.

The AVALANCHE logo was staring back at her.


	3. Chapter 3

Reno took a corner table and flopped into a chair, putting his feet up on the table and crossing them at the ankles. He leaned his chair back, arms crossed behind his head and resting on the wall. Denzel helped Tifa clear out the bar, then made his way over to sit down beside Reno.

"You could have warned me about the bikers," Denzel murmured.

"Could have," Reno agreed. "Didn't, yo. Wanted to see how you'd react."

"Another test. I could have been killed!"

"What, you think joining the Turks is all sunshine and daisies? It's dangerous, yo. Even now. Especially now."

"What was that you gave Cloud?"

"Something from the past. What do you know about Cloud?"

"I know he helped save the world."

"Know anything about AVALANCHE?"

"Not much...I heard about them, of course. But it was a long time ago...before I met Cloud and them...my dad worked for Shin-Ra. He'd talk about them now and then."

"Your dad?" Reno looked over, tilting his head.

"Yeah...I..we...lived in Sector 7 at the time. We were told AVALANCHE planned an attack on Sector 7...mom wanted to warn everyone, so they sent me away. They..they didn't get out in time."

"I...I'm sorry," Reno said quietly, looking away.

"Don't be, it's not your fault," Denzel shrugged, smiling.

Reno hunched in on himself just a touch, moving his arms from behind his head to cross in front of his chest.

"THE HELL IT ISN'T!" a large, booming voice came from nearby, Barret having come in from the back door. "DENZEL! HOW COULD YOU JOIN THOSE BASTARDS!?"

"You were happy enough to accept our help during the Geostigma Incident!" Reno said indignantly, getting to his feet.

"It was practically your own mess! You SHOULD help clean it up! Now you're recruiting kids whose parents you've killed?!"

"AVALANCHE launched that attack, dad said so!"

"WE'RE AVALANCHE!" Barret shouted. "Me! Cloud! Tifa! You think WE'D do that?!"

Denzel opened his mouth and shut it, shocked.

"I...then..."

"Barret." Cloud stepped between Barret and Reno, looking up at the larger man.

"Cloud, how can you defend him?" Barret asked angrily.

"Because he came to us first. Tifa?"

"This was found on a gang that attacked Reno and Denzel," Tifa held up the battered AVALANCHE flag.

"What?! How do we know he didn't plant it?!"

"Why would we?" Reno rolled his eyes. "If we wanted you down and out, yo, we would have done it long before now."

Barret glared, but Cloud's arm barred him from moving. Reno sat back down and crossed his arms on the table, staring up at everyone expectantly. Cloud sat down first, followed by Tifa and Barret. Denzel sat back down slowly, staring at Reno quietly.

"So why are you here?"

"To make sure it's not you, for one." Reno shrugged. "I know it's not, yo. But got to do the steps."

"Okay. It's not us, you can go now," Barret glared.

"Not that easy, yo." Reno laughed, waving his hand. "Who else was part of Avalanche?"

"Just us. YOU killed..."

"Barret."

"DAMN YOU, CLOUD! The kid has a right to know!"

Denzel got to his feet. All eyes turned to him, and before Reno could blink, Denzel's Turk-issued gun was pressed between his eyes.

"Denzel!" Tifa got to her feet, eyes wide.

"Denzel, don't..." Cloud stood slowly, looking at the boy.

Barret just smirked and leaned back, crossing his arms. "What? I think he should shoot the bastard."

"It was you," Denzel's shaking voice matched the trembling of his hand. "You planted the bomb in Sector 7."

"That's right," Reno said quietly, looking up at Denzel, trying to ignore the gun placed between his eyes.

"All those people...my mom and dad...YOU KILLED THEM!"

"On orders," Reno didn't raise his voice. "We tried to warn any Shin-Ra employee, we did, yo."

"You...I..I should kill you, right now!"

"Do it, kid," Barret grinned.

"Shut up, Barret!" Cloud gripped the table. "Denzel.."

"Denzel, don't do this!" Tifa begged.

"I've wanted revenge for so long...and you were right here, the entire time...in and out of the bar..talking to me...to Cloud...everyone..."

"They tried to stop me. And I tried to warn you, about orders, yo."

Denzel grit his teeth, tears in his eyes. His shaking hand tightened on the gun, then pulled the trigger. Cloud and Tifa cried out, then stared as nothing happened. Reno closed his eyes, lifting his hand and taking the gun from Denzel's shaking hand slowly. He opened his eyes and looked down, pressing the gun and holding it by the nozzle, offering it back to Denzel.

"You left the safety on, yo."

Denzel's eyes widened and he just stared before he fell to his knees, sobbing into his hands, apologizing through his tears. Reno set the gun on the table, then reached out towards Denzel, stopping his hand before he touched the boy. Reno then got to his feet, staring at Barret.

"I hope you're happy, yo. You sick fuck."

Reno walked away, unable to bring himself to touch or comfort Denzel, figuring the boy wouldn't want his touch anyway. Tifa moved around the table to take Denzel in her harms, cradling the sobbing boy.

"Get out." Cloud didn't even look at Barret.

"What? But..."

"Get. OUT."

Barret left. Leaving Tifa to comfort Denzel, Cloud made his way out the front door and followed the sounds of fists on metal, going down the alley to the side of 7th Heaven and finding Reno beating his fists into the side of a dumpster, leaving dents. Cloud crossed his arms and leaned on the wall, watching silently.

Reno grabbed the edge of the dumpster and hung his head, breathing hard.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh hey Reno, by the way, the kid you helped save and befriended over the last few years? You killed his parents in Sector 7," Cloud said, voice flat.

"Ugh, okay, I get it, yo. But I never would have let him in if I knew! Not like it matters. It's all flushed down the toilet, yo."

"You don't know that."

"I thought you'd be happy for it, yo." Reno pushed himself away from the dumpster, turning to look at Cloud.

"Not like this. Not driving him to want to kill you."

"Why not?"

"You're not a monster, Reno," Cloud said softly, turning those glowing eyes to the redhead.

"No?" Reno turned, walking over to Cloud, forcing the man back against the wall.

Cloud pressed his back to it and let his arms fall to the side, looking up at Reno. Reno placed his hands against the wall on either side of Cloud's shoulders, looking down at the blonde.

"How can you think you are?"

"If you think about it, how am I any better than Sephiroth?"

"WHAT?!"

Reno sighed and rested his forearm up against the brick wall, just above Cloud's head. He moved his other hand, hovering it over Cloud's chest without touching, and Cloud's breath hitched a bit. He could almost feel Reno's hand.

"A lot more people died in Sector 7 than in Nibelheim," Reno said softly, then pushed away from the wall, turning his back to Cloud.

"Sephiroth was crazed."

"And I was entirely sane, yo," Reno said quietly. "Just following orders. So Sephiroth had an excuse...what was mine?"

"That's not fair," Cloud's voice was soft, not sure what else to say.

"What's fucking fair in this world, yo? Is it fair to Denzel? To those who died? C'mon, yo! Tell me about fuckin' fair."

"Stop it," Cloud growls through grit teeth.

"How about Zack, yo? There's a Fair for you."

"Stop it," Cloud says again, fists clenching.

"Then we have you," Reno says, hanging his head. "How is that fair, yo? But I'm just a good little Turk. I'll sit by and watch a friend of mine be taken and experimented on. Locked away, yo. Why not? It's...orders."

"Friend?" Cloud frowned.

"Was I that small a blip on your radar, yo?" Reno frowned.

"What? No..it's just..." Cloud sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "...I just...thought you hated me, after I freaked out on you."

"No...I just..wanted to give you space. Let you...take the first move. I figured you wanted nothing to do with me when you wouldn't look me in the eye anymore, yo."

"Guess we were both dumb kids, then." Cloud sighed softly, giving a small smile. "I know you tried to make up for things, Reno."

"What are you talking about, yo?"

"I know your abilities. I know why you were chosen for the Turks."

Reno frowned and turned away, crossing his arms. Cloud laughed softly, shaking his head.

"I didn't know it back then, but I've known for a while now. You had orders then, too, you know."

"...they only said 'try'," Reno mumbled.

"Uh-huh. Either way, Reno...thanks."

"Yeah," Reno murmured.

"Come back tomorrow."

Cloud didn't wait for an answer, simply turning and heading into 7th Heaven. Reno watched the door close and sighed, kicking a stone across the alley before he made his way out. At least it wasn't too far of a walk to the Turk Recruitment Center.


End file.
